Royal School Manchester pupil Jamie Thomas has always loved art. Visiting galleries and sculpture gardens rank highly amongst his favourite things to do, and he can often be seen taking photographs of everyday objects and scenes around the school. Using his iPad, Jamie takes multiple pictures to explore the object from different angles, edits them and displays them all together as thumbnails on his iPad screen. Viewed all together, the pictures display all the different ways that object can appear - allowing Jamie to better see and understand the whole item.
Royal College Manchester first launched its supported internship pilot three years ago in response to a worrying national trend that sees many young disabled people unable to find work. By teaching necessary work and communication skills in real-world settings, staff felt that our students would be better placed to transition their skills into future workplaces.
Students from Manchester Grammar School have been volunteering at Seashell Trust! The school has supported Seashell Trust's work for several years, arranging trips to volunteer and take part in disability awareness sessions, and this year their help was more welcome than ever.
For several years, Seashell Trust's college staff led the way in developing competitive sports and athletics programmes for students with learning disabilities in the local area, running an annual sports day between Greater Manchester sixth forms and FE colleges. With a mix of special and mainstream colleges, as well as a range of physical, learning, communication and sensory needs, young people delighted in the chance to test their skills against their peers - in an environment which focused entirely on what they can achieve!
Our triathlon for young people with complex special needs is back and bigger than ever! With a wide range of adapted specialist equipment suitable for people with a wide range of complex learning, communication and physical disabilities, our supported triathlon helps bring families together through sport - and gives young people with the most profound disabilities the opportunity to achieve something amazing!
While the weather might have you thinking otherwise, the summer term has officially arrived! After a fun holiday, school and college are both back in session and students are gearing up for the end of the year.
Whether it's using an iPad to take photos of your day, ordering your lunch with an app or even using bespoke 3D printed tools to do things for yourself, Seashell students are learning and living more independently - thanks to the use of technology.
Matt Daly, Royal College Manchester's assistive technologist, works with staff and students to find ways they can use technology to help them become more independent.
Royal College Manchester students have launched a new business, grooming and looking after dogs.
Owners bring their dogs in to the college for a day of pampering, with students using special grooming equipment to give each pup a shampoo and set. They can also dry the dogs, brush and comb their fur and make sure they get plenty of interaction by going on walks, playing and being stroked by students. The dogs can then be picked up when the owners are ready.
With 100% of Royal College Manchester's interns (and 60% of the graduating class as a whole) leaving with work of some kind, we know what it takes to help young people with complex learning and communication disabilities find work.
At Seashell Trust, we firmly believe that all young people have the right to make decisions. Our students develop the expectation that they will be in control of experiences in their lives as much as possible.
Former Royal College Manchester student Luke has entered a new job in the hotel industry!
During his time at the college, Luke worked hard to develop his communication skills so that he could make himself understood by a wide range of people. He impressed staff during his vocational studies and worked hard to master the skills he needed to enter the workforce - skills like his understanding of working interviews, preparing CVs, carrying out tasks independently and organisational skills like using a checklist.
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